英語聽力：自然百科 Women in Space 太空女性

Since the US space program began in 1958, NASA has achieved much in the realm of space exploration. From lunar landings to voyages into the depth of our solar system, NASA has built a storied history.

In the early days, space was a men's world. All that changed on June 18, 1983, when Sally Ride became the first American woman to rocket toward the heavens aboard the space shuttle Challenger. A Doctor of Physics, she was recruited by NASA as one of six female astronaut candidates for the shuttle program. While her first job was as a mission control communicator to orbiting shuttles, Sally Ride soon found herself in orbit during 1983's STS-7 mission. And although the Russian space program had sent women into space as early as 1963, Ride's journey into space was a first ever for the US. Aboard the shuttle Challenger, she served as a mission specialist, helping deploy two satellites and perform scientific experiments over six days. Shortly after her return, Ride reflected on what her journey into space meant.

“That I was asked at a press conference just before our flight what I thought about being the first US woman astronaut, I was quoted to say that it was no big deal. What the astronaut meant to say was that, technically, as far as NASA's concerned it, was no big deal. On another level, the United States' sending a woman into space was a very important event for at least 53% of the population and I'm very proud of that.”

Sally Ride re-adventured into space once more in 1984. And since that time others have become trailblazers as well. Physician-turned astronaut, Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space during shuttle Endeavour's 1992 mission. During orbit, she performed experiments involving life sciences, material sciences, and bone cell research. In 1990, Astronaut Eileen Collins became the first female shuttle pilot aboard Discovery. Collins commanded two space shuttle missions including the important return to flight mission in July 2005, the first after the 2003 Columbia disaster. Since Sally Ride’s momentous flight into space, the ranks of female astronauts have grown. And in a male-dominated field, they hold a special position as role models for young women everywhere who dream of reaching the stars.